The whereabouts of nine sex offenders are currently unknown to Northants Police.

The figures were revealed in a Freedom of Information request, which showed there were almost 400 ‘missing’ sex offenders nationally.

The whereabouts of nine sex offenders are currently unknown to Northants Police

Northamptonshire Police said nine registered sex offenders were missing, including one since 2008, one in 2011, three since 2012 and four in 2013.

A spokesman for Northamptonshire Police said: “Along with other police forces across the country, Northamptonshire Police takes the management of sex offenders extremely seriously.

“Of the nine sex offenders whose whereabouts are currently unknown, the vast majority are either believed, or known, to be living abroad – with a number having left the UK to return to their home countries.

“Changes in national legislation which came into force on Sunday, March 8, will make it possible for police forces to apply for orders to ban sex offenders from travelling abroad.

“It is hoped this change in the law will make the system even more robust.”

The Press Association sent Freedom of Information requests to every police force in the UK to find out the number of missing registered sex offenders.

Forces which provided figures for February or early March said the information was “dynamic” and will change as arrests are made or new cases come to light through “proactive intelligence-led policing or routine visits to registered offenders”.

Every force that responded refused to name the missing sex offenders over fears of vigilante attacks or because the information was exempt under data protection laws.

Scotland Yard said the whereabouts of 167 registered sex offenders were unknown.

The longest period of time an offender had been missing was 14 years, the force said.

West Midlands Police said 39 registered sex offenders were classed as missing.

They included one who disappeared in 2006, nine offenders who went missing between 2010 and 2012, another nine who had been missing since 2013, 14 since 2014 and six since 2015.

Greater Manchester Police said 25 registered sex offenders were missing, including one who disappeared in September 2005, three in 2006, one in 2008, four in 2009, three in 2010, one in 2011, three in 2012, one in 2013, six in 2014 and two in 2015.

Essex Police said 11 registered sex offenders were missing, including eight whose whereabouts had been unknown for more than a year.

Sussex Police said 11 registered sexual offenders were wanted because their whereabouts were unknown, including one who went missing in 2006. Two offenders went missing in 2010, one in 2011, three in 2013 and four in 2014.

Cambridgeshire Police said 10 registered sex offenders were wanted because their whereabouts were unknown. They had been missing for between two and eight years.

South Yorkshire Police said 10 sex offenders were wanted because their whereabouts were unknown but refused to say how long they had been missing.

Kent Police said eight registered sex offenders were classed as missing, including one who disappeared in September 2007.

Another went missing in February 2008, one disappeared in January 2012, two went missing in April 2012, while the others disappeared in December 2013, April 2014 and January this year.

Humberside Police said seven registered sex offenders were recorded as wanted because their whereabouts are unknown.

One sex offender had been missing since September 2004, another since November 2007, two went missing 2010, one in April 2011 and two in 2014.

Lincolnshire Police said the whereabouts of seven registered sex offenders were unknown. Two have been missing since 2006, two since 2009 and three since 2014.

Nottinghamshire Police said six registered sexual offenders were missing, including one since 2011, one since 2012, one since 2013 and three since 2014.

Warwickshire Police said six sex offenders were missing, including four who disappeared last year, one in 2011 and one in 2009.

West Mercia Police said six registered sex offenders were missing, including one whose whereabouts had been unknown for eight years.

Another sex offender in the area had been missing for six years, one for four years, two went missing 18 months ago and another disappeared five months ago.

Avon and Somerset Police said six registered sex offenders were recorded as wanted because their whereabouts were unknown.

One offender has been missing for four and a half years, another for three years, two offenders have been missing for one year and another two for less than 11 months.

Derbyshire Constabulary said six registered sex offenders were wanted because their whereabouts were unknown from 2006 up to 2014.

Wiltshire Police said five sex offenders were wanted because their whereabouts were unknown but did not reveal the length of time they had been missing.

Suffolk Constabulary said five registered sex offenders were classed as “wanted” because their whereabouts were unknown but did not reveal the length of time they had been missing.

Lancashire Police said five registeredsex offenders were wanted because their whereabouts were unknown. One has been missing since 2008, another disappeared in 2009, two in 2012 and one in 2013.

Thames Valley Police said the whereabouts of five registered sex offenders were unknown, including four who have been missing for more than a year.

South Wales Police said the whereabouts of four registered sex offenders were unknown but did not reveal the length of time they had been missing.

Hampshire Police said the whereabouts of four sex offenders were unknown but refused to say when they went missing.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said three registered sex offenders were “currently wanted”.

PSNI refused to say when the offenders went missing and said disclosure of their names may be valuable information for “criminal/ terrorist/vigilante groups who may attempt an attack on them and/or their families”.

Merseyside Police said the whereabouts of three registered sex offenders were unknown as of March 3, and all three had gone missing this year.

Gloucestershire Constabulary said the whereabouts of three registered sex offenders were unknown, including one who went missing in 2000, one in 2007 and one in 2010.

Devon and Cornwall Police said three registered sex offenders had been missing for more than a year.

Bedfordshire Police said the whereabouts of three registered sex offenders were unknown, including one who had been missing for more than 12 months and two who disappeared in the last year.

Hertfordshire Constabulary said the whereabouts of two registered sex offenders were unknown. One went missing in January 2014, while the whereabouts of the other offender became unknown last November.

Gwent Police said two sex offenders were missing, including one who disappeared in January and one in 2013.

North Wales Police said two registered sex offenders were wanted because their whereabouts were unknown. They went missing in 2011 and 2013.

Surrey Police said two sex offenders had been missing since 2012.

North Yorkshire Police said the whereabouts of two registered sex offenders were unknown - one who has been missing since 2008 and another since late 2014.

Northumbria Police said two registered sex offenders were wanted because their whereabouts were unknown, including one who went missing in May 2002 and another in November 2008.

Leicestershire Police said the whereabouts of two registered sex offenders were unknown, including one who went missing more than a year ago and another who had been missing for two months.

Cleveland Police said one registered sex offender had been missing since 2011.

Cheshire Police said one registered sex offender was missing but refused to say when their whereabouts became unknown.

Dyfed Powys Police said one registered sex offender was missing but refused to say when their whereabouts became unknown.

Durham Police said one registered sex offender was missing but refused to say when their whereabouts became unknown.

Norfolk Constabulary said one registered sex offender had been missing since August.

Police Scotland said none of the 4,775 registered sex offenders in the country, as of February 16, was missing.

Cumbria Constabulary and City of London Police said there were no missing registered sex offenders in their force areas.

West Yorkshire Police said it needed more time to respond, while the Press Association did not receive responses from Dorset and Staffordshire police forces.